Around 70 people from Shetland’s public sector, community councils and development groups will meet to begin shaping the next Shetland Partnership Plan, guiding the islands from 2028/29.
Issued on behalf of the Shetland Partnership
Around 70 people from across Shetland's public sector, Community Councils and Community Development Organisations will sit down together this month to begin shaping the next Shetland Partnership Plan – the strategic framework that will set the islands' collective direction from 2028/29 onwards.
The first session takes place in Lerwick on Thursday 21 May 2026 and marks the start of a seven-session process running until February 2027. It is the first time strategic partners, Community Councils and Community Development Organisations have been brought together in this structured way, to shape a single shared plan for Shetland.
Gary Robinson, Chair of the Shetland Partnership, says the islands' next Plan would be developed against a backdrop of real challenges – a declining working-age population, the growing impact of climate change, and persistent inequalities affecting quality of life across Shetland.
"Shetland is a remarkable place, with strengths most parts of the country would envy. It also faces real challenges – from a shrinking working‑age population to climate pressures and stubborn inequalities – and none of them will be solved by any single organisation working alone."
The next Plan will set the islands' collective direction over a 15-year period, replacing the current 2018–2028 Plan. The process is not a public consultation. Communities across Shetland have already shared their views many times in recent years, through surveys, consultations and local planning. Rather than ask the same questions again, the Partnership is bringing together the wealth of evidence already gathered – data, research, frontline experience – and putting it in front of the people best placed to act on it.
"What we're starting on 21 May isn't another consultation, or a document for the shelf," Mr Robinson says. "It's a significant piece of work by the people who represent Shetland's organisations and communities, sitting in the same room, looking at the same evidence, and being honest with each other about what needs to change."
Each of the seven sessions will be informed by a detailed paper prepared by subject experts, covering one of the key issues facing Shetland: inequalities; population and economy; housing and connectivity; climate and biodiversity; and public sector reform and communities. A scene-setting session in May opens the process and a final session in February 2027 brings the work together.
To keep the conversation grounded in real experiences the Partnership is also developing a set of fictional but evidence-based stories about seven children growing up in households at different income levels in Shetland today. Drawn from research, the stories are designed to make sure the discussion stays focused on improving the lives of households across Shetland.
Lawson Bisset, Chair of Scalloway Community Council, says community bodies are taking part as equal partners with the Council, the NHS, other partners and the third sector.
"The issues we discuss at our community council meetings every month are some of the issues these sessions will be working through. It's good to see community councils sitting at the same table as the bigger partners and treated as equals in this. That's the right way to plan for Shetland's future."
A ummary of the development process, the schedule of sessions and an overview is available on the Shetland Partnership website at https://www.shetlandpartnership.org/shetlands-next-partnership-plan.